Spinning top



May 12, 1925. 1,537,334

B. CLUSS SPINNING TOP Bibi J 1922.

WITNESS '35 g y INVENTOR A TTOR/l/EY Patented May 12, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,537,334 PATENT, OFFICE.

IBERNHARD CLUSS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SPINNING TOP.

Application filed June 5, 1922. Serial No. 566,156.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERNHARD GLUss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spinning Tops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spinning tops and particularly to such as are caused to rotate by a whipping efl'ect transmitted by aflexible strap connected with a rigid handle and some of its objects are, to provide a novel form of top, the outer surface of which may be either plain or helically grooved to receive the lash element of the whip and the top may be provided with a metallic point if preferred.

A second object is to provide a whip in which the lash consists of a thin, narrow leather strap to provide efiicient adhesion to the surface of the top and also for its lasting qualities.

These objects are attained by the novel design and construction of parts hereinafter described and shown in the annexed drawing, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a side eleva'tional view showini a preferred embodiment of the top body.

igure 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a side view of a top body in itssimplest form.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the whip in its preferred form. 1

As will be seen from the drawin s, the top body 10 in either form, is essential y conical, its side wall 11 being formed by paraboliccurves with a rounded point or apex 12 at its smaller, lower end, while its upper end 13 is arcuately domed to a radius struck from a point corresponding with its ti Tops of this class are usually ma e of considerable size and weight, preferably from hard wood and in order to avoid excessive wear are provided with a metal point 15, such as the rounded head of a tack or screw, the body 16 of which is embedded axially in the body of the top while the curvature of the head 15 blends with the side of the top body and the body may be colored, polished and finished in any desired manner.

In the preferred embodiment, shown in Fig. 1, a helical groove 17 is formed in the body beginning at a point slightly above the juncture of the tip, and sides and extending several times around the body to a oint slightly above its center as shown, the elix bem dpreferably counter clockwiseor left han e This groove is coarsely cut and the lash or strap 18 may initially be Wound u on it, one edge of the strap being guided y the groove as it is wound from the point 19 at the tip, after which the handle 20 is given a sharp whipping motion tending to cause the top to rotate at a high s eed, maintained for a considerable period 0 time, due to the momentum imparted to it by the lash.

The velocity of the top may be maintained or increased as usual by blows of the whip, imparted at proper periods keeping it spinning and accelerating the speed as may be desired.

While certain preferred embodiments of this device have been shown and described, it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements, proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the ap ended claims.

Having thus escribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Asa new article of manufacture, a block of hard wood formed to present a generical conical shape having parabolic side walls, an arcuate top joined by curves to said side Walls, a flan ed metallic head blenden of said b ock, means for securing said head in axial position, and a coarse helical channel formed in the side walls from a oint near the bottom to a point midway 1n the height of the block.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a block of hard wood shaped to represent a top having parabolic side walls, a broad metal tip inserted in the apex of said block,

in into the para olic walls, on the lower. 

